A Matter of Smallness
by AliceAD
Summary: Imagine what had happened if Stayne looked inside the teapot. Gentle!Stayne/Small!Alice
1. Chapter 1

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010  
**Rating:** R ( M )  
**Warning:** Explicit content, do not read when under 18.  
**Pairing: **Alice / Stayne  
**Genre:** General/Romance/Hurt/Comfort

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything not do I profit._

Written as a reply to : 2010_Alice_kink

_(Anoniem)_  
_2010-04-12 12:38 pm UTC _

_gentle!Stayne/shrunken!Alice :D_

_Stayne actually manages to find out what was hiding in the teapot and takes Alice as a captive. She's cold and frightened due her nakedness and he somehow ends up trying to console her and one thing leads to another and then Alice gets turned on by his hair. What can I say? I adore his hair XD. Those luscious dark locks *drools*_

* * *

**A Matter of Smallness**

**(Part 1)**

"On that day, I shall Futterwacken vigorously."

A sound was heard in the distance and everyone around the table yelped. "Oh my!" Alice looked at the Mad Hatter who pushed a bottle against her lips. "Drink this, quick!" He ushered her and she could not do but to obey. Coughing, she felt herself shrink tinier than she had been before as the rough hands of the hatter placed her inside the teapot.

She had no idea what was going on and desperately looked up to see what he was up to. But the lid had been closed and it was incredibly dark inside the teapot that now rested upon Tarrant's lap.

Alice felt a slight panic rise within her. It was just moments ago that her mad friend had snapped. Dark circles had appeared underneath his eyes and his voice had turned low and raspy. In her panic, and still coughing, she started to bang against the teapot's walls and pleaded for anyone to get her out. "Let me out!"

She tried to listen what was going on outside but only heard muffled sounds. It seemed as if they were singing a song. Then suddenly the last ray of light was blocked as Bayard had found the teapot on the hatter's lap and Tarrant had placed his hands tighter around the pot nervously. He whispered in his low accented voice. "Down with the bloody big-head." Because he really couldn't suppress his demonic side.

Bayard sniffed a few more times and then turned around. He barked loudly to the Red Knave who was trying one of the cups of tea and spit it out in disgust. Alice, still covering her naked self with the remains of her much too big dress, dared to peek out of the spout. She could barely make out the shape of the Knave who was scolding his minions. "Follow the blood hound." The soldiers took off and Stayne turned his attention towards the hatter and his guests again.

"You're all mad." He said with a smug smile upon his face. At the happy reply he received he smashed the tea cup and turned around to leave. That's when he noticed Bayard in the distance and it made him think.

He was sure that he had seen the hatter whisper to the dog. The animal was scared to lose his family. Bit whether that should be reason for him to oblige to the Queen's demands? It was Stayne himself who followed the Red Queen out of fear rather than out of lust. And wasn't he planning on betraying her as well?

He glanced with his good eye in the direction of the hatter and his company again.

Why was the mad man clutching a pot of tea on his lap?

He suddenly strode back to the table. The Dormouse and the March Hare looked at him wide-eyed. Not one of them had expected for the knave to return. Stayne could see it clearly now. The hatter was sweating.

With one firm stride he stood next to him and picked up the teapot out of his hands.

"My, my, my." He mused in his low seducing voice. The hatter flinched at this. "What have we here?"

Tarrant stood up and raised his finger, he was eager to speak. The hare and the mouse dived away in the hope that they would be spared. Before the hatter could speak the knave had lifted the lid and was now looking down at the subject of his mission.

"Alice!" Mallymkun squeaked from her safe hiding spot underneath an empty teacup. Tarrant glared angrily at the dormouse and Stayne laughed huskily.

"So you _were_ hiding her. I believe I've said you would be losing your heads for this." He reached inside the pot with one of his gloved hands and cupped the naked Alice out of it. She was clinging to her dress but eventually had to let go. Stayne, however, held her tightly in his hand so that no one saw her nakedness.

Alice looked up helplessly at the hatter who stared back with guilt and shame in his eyes. It was clear that he was blaming himself for failing her.

"Alice." He lisped sadly.

"NO! No, you won't be taking me!" She screeched and started to slam her tiny fists against the gloved hand of Stayne. He smirked smugly and turned to the mad company. "You'll hear from me." At that he called for his guards. The soldiers returned within an eye blink and with that prevented the hatter from killing Stayne.

The Red Knave laughed as he held Alice in his hand and walked back to his steed.

He had succeeded.

~ * ~

"My dear Alice." He mused in a husky voice.

Alice sat on his shoulder and moped. She was trying to cover herself up but hadn't really anything to do it with. Stayne's outfit seemed to be made out of leather mostly and she began to feel cold. She thanked the gods that the soldiers had stayed behind so they wouldn't see her now.

The knave hadn't really looked at her yet. He had placed her on his shoulder and had continued riding his horse. He knew that Alice couldn't get away from him without dying in the process. And Alice wasn't foolish enough to jump the long distance.

Although she'd felt it to be very tempting.

The cold wind blew past her skin and created goose bumps. She shivered.

'I need something to clothe me.'

Her long blonde curls were the only thing that covered her a bit. But just her own hair wouldn't do. She looked at his head which was, in her opinion, a ridiculous large one. Her hand smoothly settled upon a strand of his hair and she was surprised by feeling how soft it actually was to the touch. She pressed her face close against his hairs and studied the raven coloured tresses. Her fingers glided past the locks. 'Oh yes,' she thought, 'this will do.'

Carefully she gathered a few of his hairs and started to wind them around her petite body. Already she could feel the cold being replaced by warmth. His hair was slightly greasy but this didn't seem to disturb her. It actually slid very well past her skin.

The knave noticed that she was up to something and tried to look to his side. As his head moved she yelped out loud and felt how some of the hairs slipped out of her fingers whilst others were tangled around her limbs and wanted to force her down his shoulder.

"Keep still!" She yelped and Stayne reached his hand up to her.

"What are you trying to do?" His low voice said, harsher than he had intended. She looked flushed at him and tried to hide her naked body from his sight.

"N-Nothing." She said with a trembling voice.

Of course the knave didn't believe that.

"Spill it girl." Stayne moved his head some more and Alice yelped as she managed to untangle herself and fell upon his shoulder.

"I'm cold." She whimpered sadly and clutched her arms around her small frame.

The knave huffed. "And so you thought you could use my hair as a dress."

Alice opened her mouth and closed it again. She decided that saying nothing was the best reply in this case. She slightly shivered again.

Her actions made Stayne wonder about his victim. In the first place he had questioned himself why the fate of Underland would be in the hands of a midget.

'Or was it the pishalver?'

And in the second place the tiny creature was toying with his hair because she said she was cold. What kind of country did she come from to be dressed so lightly? He reached up for her again and this time grabbed her by the sides. She yelped at his action as he brought her in front of his face. Immediately he pulled the reigns as his horse obeyed and stopped his tracks. Stayne could feel his eyes turn wide but he decided not to comment.

The small girl in his hand was completely naked.

Why hadn't he noticed before?

He could hit himself on the head. Alice was extremely embarrassed and wanted to cover her private parts very much. But unfortunately for her the knave held her in a good grip. His fingers held her arms pinned to her sides and with this provided him with a full view of her front.

"Please," she whimpered, "I'm embarrassed."

The knave felt his body grow warm with desire at her soft pleading voice and flushed expression. If she hadn't been such a miniature girl he would have had plans with her. Now he felt a feeling down his guts and it wasn't pleasant. Was he really going to hand this poor girl to the Red Queen?

Surely there wasn't much harm she could do. If Alice would stay this size she could never wield a sword.

He grinned as ideas began to form inside his mind.

He watched how her breast heaved every time she took a deep breath and how her hand rested near her lower region. It was obvious she wanted to cover herself but the knave couldn't get himself to give her that privilege. His body and mind agreed that he had to watch her.

And he did.

Alice felt awkward under his gaze.

'I wish he would stop gawking at me.' She thought to herself. But she also knew about wishful thinking and sighed in defeat. Finally Stayne stirred and Alice looked up at him with anticipation. But instead of changing his grip on her he reached out a gloved finger and traced it past her body. She winced at the rough and cold feel of his gloved finger brushing past her bare skin. She felt how his fingertip pressed past her breasts and slid down her belly and between her legs. She let out a surprised gasp.

Stayne's mind was occupied by thoughts that could hardly be described as appropriate.

'How odd,' he mused, 'that this tiny girl seems so harmless and vulnerable.' He brought her up closer to his eye to study her more carefully and she squeaked again. "Stop it, please!"

He made a low rumbling sound at the back of his throat before placing her back on his shoulder again, his finger twirling into a lock of hair and offering it to her as he did so. She gratefully took it from him and covered herself up.

Until they've reached the castle it would do.

~* ~


	2. Chapter 2

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010  
**Rating:** R ( M )  
**Warning:** Explicit content, do not read when under 18.  
**Pairing: **Alice / Stayne  
**Genre:** General/Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Disclaimer: I don't own anything not do I profit.

Written as a reply to : 2010_Alice_kink

* * *

**A Matter of Smallness**

**(Part 2)**

She could see the huge towers in front of her, indicating that their journey to the castle had come to an end.

An itchy feeling started to tickle her nose and she grasped the lock of hair that was wrapped around her body and held it up to her face. A tiny sneezing sound was heard and Stayne felt his heart almost break. The girl had been his companion for the ride and she had stayed quietly on his shoulder, wrapped in his hair, and had not complained about his rough and bumpy riding style.

He patted his horse who in his turn thanked him for the pat. Stayne grinned. His horse was his best friend and the only one he could trust. He entered the castle and, with a few graceful strides, came to stand in front of the door to the throne room. He could hear the girl on his shoulder whimper sadly.

"You're not able to see her majesty yet." He stated gruffly.

"I know." She piped. "I'm stark naked."

He grinned perversely and was thankful no one was there to see it. "It's uncommon not to say the least." Alice whimpered again and cuddled into his greasy hair. She nuzzled her face against his scalp and whispered near his ear so she was sure he would hear her. "Please provide me with some clothes."

Stayne laughed hoarsely at this. "We shall see, _dear_ Alice. Wasn't it _you_ who could fantasize so dearly? Just pretend that you're dressed. We can't waste any more time on getting you into fancy clothes. The Queen has demanded to see you straightaway."

Alice moved closer to his ear and placed her hands just above his earlobe. "Please?" She whispered again, her breath tickling his skin and making him shiver slightly in the process. His reply was to grab her and untangle her out of his hair. She kicked and tried to batter him with her fists but all her movements caused him no harm and he laughed amused at the display.

One of the frog servants opened the door.

"STAYNE?" Iracebeth roared and only cooled down when she saw her knave approach her. A sigh of relief appeared on her face before she frowned again. Then her expression changed into one of agitation.

"Where is she?"

Stayne stopped only inches away from her and smirked.

"Your majesty." He said as he made a small bow before presenting her Alice by stretching out his arm and showing her in his fist. She ceased her struggling at the sight of the Red Queen. The usual big head had become a monstrous sight and she cried out in fear.

"What?" Iracebeth howled. "Is that Alice?"

"I'm afraid so your majesty." Stayne smiled smugly at the Red Queen who studied Alice closely. She didn't seem to bother to ask him about why the girl was held so tightly in his fist. Reality was that Stayne felt sorry for their little enemy and didn't want to cause her any more embarrassment. He had his fingers wrapped around her in such a way that her most private parts were covered for the queen's sight. And he now indeed doubted whether the queen had noticed at all that the little girl was undressed. If she had noticed it she surely didn't let it show.

"She cannot wield a sword. How can she defeat my Jabberwocky?" Iracebeth looked up at Stayne and snarled. "How can she do that?"

Stayne shrugged and looked somewhat helplessly at her. "It's according to the prophesies, ma'am, that she should. I suggest she might have been a different size or shape originally."

The queen seemed to like his suggestion and mused about it. "Girl? Have you drunk anything strange recently."

Alice carefully nodded but the Red Queen didn't seem to catch her movement.

"Well? Are we feeling too big to talk?"

Alice felt insulted and groaned. "I have had some liquid." She wants to explain more but Iracebeth raised a hand as a sign for her to shut up.

"I've heard enough. Pishalver."

Stayne grinned amused now, his good eye twinkling. Iracebeth looked at Alice once more. "It's the tiniest head I'd ever seen. My headsman will have to use his spectacles."

Stayne could feel Alice moved in his hand. It felt as if she wanted to crawl away. And there was that pang again in his heart. She was a harmless creature now. "Ma'am? May I ask where would be the fun in that?"

The Red Queen looked up at him suspiciously. "How do you mean?" She barked.

"Well," Stayne continued, "Will you, for instance, be able to see the decapitation from your throne?" Iracebeth had to think about that one and shook her head.

"Well, no."

Stayne continued. "And like you said so yourself, brilliant words, that she can't wield a sword and can't possibly slay our beloved Jabberwocky." The last part of the sentence was stressed and more fiercely put then he had wanted. He disliked the dangerous creature. Alice seemed to relax a bit again in his hold. She noticed how the knave was trying to save her life. She looked over at Iracebeth with big puppy eyes only to meet the queen's gaze. The elderly woman sniffed and cleared her throat.

"She does look like a pet."

Stayne grinned as he knew he had his victory.

"She's not normal." The queen continued and walked back to her throne. A frog servant hurried to her side with a glass of wine. She sipped from it and Stayne waited for her to continue her rambling.

"We can keep her."

Stayne's eye twinkled again at the queen's capitulation.

"But she'll need to have a leash. And we need someone to take responsibility for her. She may by no means eat Upelkuchen and grow. If she does that it'll be 'off with her head'." The queen couldn't have made herself more clear and Stayne bowed gracefully for her.

"I understand, ma'am. I shall take full responsibility."

Iracebeth looked at him and contemplated whether to agree or not. But then she concluded that her knave fancied largeness and supposed that Alice would not be a threat. She was too small after all. The queen nodded.

"You can go now. I shall send someone to help you with the leash."

Alice gulped but was grateful that her life would be spared.

For now.

* * *

Alice whimpered sadly as she felt the huge pressure on her throat. The servant squeaked an apology at seeing her face turn slightly purple. "I'm sorry."

Alice felt the pressure disappear and she could finally breathe again. She wisely kept her mouth shut. The servant had been adjusting a collar which couldn't be opened except by the said servant, the Red Queen and Stayne. But Alice held good hopes that one of them might remove the collar for her.

It could take a few days but she had some time to spare before Frabjous Day.

"Excellent." The servant who looked like an anemone fish attached a chain to the collar and smiled. "She's tied up for you. Here's the lash."

Stayne took the other end of the chain and looked at the fish. "You may go now."

The servant took a bow and then left in a rush. The knave finally let his eyes glide over her form and Alice felt herself shrink under his intense gaze. He gave her an approving look and somehow it didn't make her feel unpleasant. Rather the opposite.

"Well?" She chirped and he laughed. She clutched her small dress in her hands. The first thing the servant had arranged was a small wardrobe. It looked as if it was all made for a tiny doll. And that doll was Alice. Nonetheless she liked the set of clothes that the Red Queen had so kindly bestowed upon her. The dress she was wearing was quite short, but at least she was wearing fancy ruched underwear underneath.

Stayne was grinning at her now.

"It suits you nicely." He said in a low voice that send a shiver down Alice's spine. She blinked confused.

"The collar."

Immediately she felt her blood rush to her cheeks and grumbled under her breath. "It's a necessary evil."

Stayne laughed again. "Well, you've heard the queen. You're my pet now. I expect you to obey. "

Alice huffed and nodded. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and sat down upon the table she was on. She could feel Stayne pulling at her chain and wrapped both her tiny hands around one of the links and winced.

"What are you doing?" She yelped.

"Who said you could rest?"

Alice looked baffled at him.

"But I'm tired." She complained and Stayne had that eerie feeling again that only she could give him. The feeling that he would be unable to refuse her a bit of rest.

"I need to go and inspect the soldiers." He stated grimly.

"Then go and leave me to rest." Alice retorted and Stayne snorted audibly.

"Go and leave you here? What if you would escape? You're such a little girl you could easily get yourself into troubles."

Alice sat up straight and growled at him.

"Ah, a real animal now, aren't you?" He grinned maliciously at her.

"It's horrible enough to find myself in this state! I don't need you to rub it in." Angry she turned her back to him and lay down on her side upon the table, her hands grasping a piece of table cloth as if it could be used like a blanket. Stayne watched her moping form for a while and sighed softly so that Alice couldn't hear.

"Fine." He finally gave in and Alice looked up over her shoulder just in time to see how his hand reached for her. She yelped as he held her in one fist again and brought her to a small cage. "This shall do until I've returned."

"What?" She piped sadly. "You're going to lock me up like a common prisoner?"

Stayne looked at her. "Birds are trapped in cages too."

Alice knew how to bounce that one.

"Not here. In Underland you're either free or you're taken into prison. I'm a pet, that's different."

Stayne smirked at her. "A pet is not necessarily free, Alice."

She flinched as he spoke her name. His voice send a shiver down her spine as his words seemed to hide a layer that could almost be described as passionate.

"Don't worry, dear pet, I'll make sure you'll have a nicer cage by tomorrow. Or do you prefer to join me as I go to see the soldiers?" He cocked his head slightly as he looked at her and silently hoped for her to join him. But Alice was too tired and shook her head, her blonde curls dangling.

"No, I'll go to sleep." Her voice was a soft whisper and Stayne could have easily missed it. He nodded.

Alice watched as he exited the room and glanced over at the bars of the cage. It was indeed like one birds were kept in and she felt like a bird herself now. She scooted into a corner of the cage and made herself comfortable. Trying to escape wouldn't work, she had already seen that she couldn't open the cage herself, and thus she surrendered herself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_Au: A bit shorter than the previous ones but it's better than nothing, right? Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been ill and busy with essays and research =)_

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010  
**Rating:** R ( M )  
**Warning:** Explicit content, do not read when under 18.  
**Pairing: **Alice / Stayne  
**Genre:** General/Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Disclaimer: _I don't own anything not do I profit._

_Written as a reply to : 2010_Alice_kink_

_(Anoniem)_  
_2010-04-12 12:38 pm UTC_

_gentle!Stayne/shrunken!Alice :D_

_Stayne actually manages to find out what was hiding in the teapot and takes Alice as a captive. She's cold and frightened due her nakedness and he somehow ends up trying to console her and one thing leads to another and then Alice gets turned on by his hair. What can I say? I adore his hair XD. Those luscious dark locks *drools*_

* * *

**A Matter of Smallness**

**(Part 3)**

When she awoke she sat up in the cage and blinked a few times before rubbing her eyes with her tiny fists. When her eyes had finally opened she immediately looked into the dark eye of Stayne.

He was seated in a corner of the room and stared at her. She felt nervous for he did not move and kept watching her closely. After a moment of awkward silence she finally decided to speak up and opened her mouth.

"Good morning." Stayne's gruff voice sounded and Alice looked perplexed.

She was at a loss for words and quickly let her eyes dart over to the window to see if it indeed was day again. She was a bit shocked to find that the sun was just rising which mean that she had slept all through the night.

"Morning." She muttered silently. Quickly she looked back at the knave again, never letting her guard down. But he was still in his very same position and didn't seem to make any attempts to converse with her. Nervous because of the silence, Alice walked over to the bars of the cage and held onto them while she looked at him. "Can I be let out?"

Finally he stirred and stiffly rose from his seat. "Sure you can, Lady Alice." She caught the irony that tainted his words and wondered why he even bothered to address her as 'lady'. She never had felt like one so she shrugged it off.

"I'm hungry." She whined and he smirked. He had already expected her to complain about breakfast. After all she had slept for quite some time. He had been amused to watch the tiny creature sleep soundlessly. And the moment she awoke and had rubbed her eyes made him aware of how much of a softy he had started to become, for his heart broke at the sight of it and he wanted nothing more than to care for her. Carefully he handed her a tiny cup filled with tiny food. She looked up at the water bottle that he was holding in his hand and blinked confused.

"Your drink." He explained at her questioning look. "Unless you want me to give you a bowl." He gestured towards a huge bowl that looked as if it was used for dog's drinking needs only. It reached halfway her size and she decided she could fall in it and be drenched.

"The bottle, please." She reluctantly admitted.

Stayne smiled wide and held the water bottle for her. Her throat was dry and sore and she was dying to get a drink. Stayne reached out one arm so that Alice could climb on it and then he cradled her close. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with expectation, as he held out the bottle and she started to drink from it gratefully. The knave couldn't suppress a small smile at the feel of the tiny creature on his arm. She was drinking happily from the bottle. He let his eye rest upon her as he watched her drink and when he saw that she had her fill he reached out to offer her the cup with food. She picked out a – to her gigantic- strawberry and looked up at him. Then she took a bite, her eyes never leaving him as she wanted to see his expression.

She wanted to know if he was just mocking her and enjoying it by watching her sleep and eat in her distressed state. Why didn't he give her some Upelkuchen?

She took another small bite from the strawberry and felt its juices start to drip down her chin. She had never noticed how much liquid one strawberry could contain and it surprised her. Because the juice kept seeping forth she quickly tried to lick it away, her eyes still focused on Stayne who could feel himself grow hard at the seductive sight in front of him.

The knave swallowed for his mouth had suddenly turned dry. Why was this small girl arousing him? She was _very _tiny. In his mind it did not make sense.

Alice still studied him. Outwards he did not show any emotion of what he was feeling and she had a difficult time reading him. His mouth was pressed into a thin line, his black hair plastered against his forehead, his cheeks slightly coloured and his eye still as dark as it had been before. No, she could not guess what he was thinking of and whether or not he was enjoying watching her. She shifted slightly on his arm and saw how his jaw clenched for the shortest of seconds. Almost as if he was composing himself.

She took another bite and decided that the taste bored her. She held out the strawberry to him with both hands. "Can I have something else, please?"

Stayne just grumped and nodded before taking the strawberry and replacing it with a blackberry.

Alice looked at it in doubt and already knew she wasn't in the mood for blackberries today. Nonetheless she gave it a lick before giving Stayne a sour expression. He understood what she meant and gave her a small piece of bread which looked like it was torn off from a larger piece quite roughly. She started to pull off some pieces with one hand and propped them into her mouth.

Stayne, in the meanwhile, took the half eaten strawberry and ate it. Alice looked at him and wondered why he'd just done that. He ate the blackberry as well and she felt a strange feeling inside of her at the sight of it. What was he doing to her? Had he bewitched her or something? Alice finished her bread and looked pleading for some more water which Stayne gave her immediately. As he was holding the bottle and she was drinking she wondered why he had exposed himself to be so protective over her. Surely as their enemy they could have easily killed her. Why had he proposed to care for her and to keep her little? It confused her.

She took a last sip and looked up at Stayne. The knave showed her a quick smirk before his stoic expression popped up again.

"Now we need to go." He suddenly stated in a low voice and Alice yelped as he stood up again. She hold on tightly by grabbing his sleeve as he stalked out of the room. Stayne grinned as he knew that the little girl on his arm was climbing onto his shoulder. She still wore that collar around her neck and the end of the chain rested in his palm.

He started to like his Alice more and more.

* * *

She had spirit. He had to give her that.

During his inspections of the army she had been sitting silently on his shoulder. Each time he had been able to look at her he had noticed her fixed stare in front of her and the determined expression she wore along with it. She radiated the aura of a champion and he slowly started to understand how she - if she had been any bigger – could easily have defeated their jabberwocky. He wondered if she had ever killed before and concluded that she probably hadn't. But still he would ask her about that someday.

The chain rattled softly with the knave's movements as it was attached to his own uniform. Alice didn't comment about the way she was chained to him. She was too occupied by studying the guards and soldiers. She was absolutely sure that if she just paid enough attention she could find out the Red Queen's strategies. And now she had been filled with a new feeling. The feeling as if she was a spy on a mission. She shifted again on the knave's shoulder. Each time she moved it would make a tingle go down his body towards a certain heated area. He looked grimly in front of him at the newest of all sensations. The small girl was making it hard for him to focus on his tasks. He would occasionally peer at her only to find her gaze wasn't on him.

It annoyed him.

Why couldn't she just look at him? A smirk appeared on his face as a new thought entered his head. 'She needs to be trained by her master.' As he was fantasizing about all the things he could do with the little champion he was startled to find her calling his name.

"Stayne? Please, I can't hold it much longer."

He grabbed her and held her in front of his face again. She looked pleadingly and made soft wheezing noises. Her hands were battering his gloved fingers again as she struggled.

"Not like that, please. Hold me in a different way."

He stared emotionlessly at her. "What do you want?" His voice was low and monotone.

"Please, I need to powder my nose."

Humans of aboveground, weren't they the strangest of all creatures? What on earth would she need to powder her nose for. He studied her with his eye but couldn't find any reason or flaw for her to want such a thing. "You don't need to."

She yelped at him as he squeezed her a bit harder at his statement. Her face showed him her displeasure and something else. It looked as if she was having a hard time.

"Yes, I do have to go!" Her cheeks coloured once more with embarrassment. "Please!" she squeaked, "Don't you ever have to go and wash your hands?"

Stayne's expression turned into a scowl which was a sign for Alice to continue on with as much metaphors as she could think of. "Spend a penny, drain the sea monster?" He squeezed her even harder again. It was now becoming unbearable for Alice's little bladder to keep it all in for much longer and in her distress she cried out. "I need a wee!"

Stayne huffed annoyed at her words and placed her back on his shoulder again. She could have said so sooner. With a few graceful steps he had reached one of the nearby rosebushes of the Queen and gestured at Alice for a twig.

"What? You want me to do so here?" Alice's expression was one of disbelieve and Stayne raised a brow. What was wrong with the bushes?

"Do I need to potty train you, A_lice_?"

Annoyed, Alice slid off of his shoulder and stepped onto a twig. She quickly hurried herself to behind one of the leaves and glared at Stayne. She wanted to go further into the bushes but the chain of her collar wouldn't allow her that distance.

"Avert your eyes."

The knave kept his gaze firmly fixed upon her and Alice sighed loudly while she gestured helplessly with her arms. "Please?" Stayne had his arms crossed in front of his chest and kept watching her motionlessly. Usually the magical word would work. And in Alice's dictionary 'please' had always been that magical word to use in these kind of circumstances. But when the knave wouldn't budge nor answer to her pleads in any other way she turned her back to him and lifted her skirts.

"Fine, have it your way." She grumped.

Just as she wanted to sit down on her heels she could see an ant crawling rapidly her way and she cried out in fear and shock. The small insect looked bigger than usual due to her own size and she could see the little hooks and the huge eyes that were advancing on her. Immediately after her cry she could feel how Stayne's hand had her scooped up from the tree and she was once again eye to eyes with him. He looked extremely displeased. "If you can't do it now you shall have to wait till we're back in my quarters again."

Alice turned pale. She couldn't wait that long, especially not when he was holding her as tightly like this. It wasn't as if she would run away.

Well, okay. She would if she had the opportunity.

She looked up at him with teary puppy eyes and pouted dramatically. Once again Stayne could feel his heart sink but his cruel self placed her back onto his shoulder again as he finished the surveillance of his troops.

Alice started to make little whining sounds to attract Stayne's attention once more but she was doomed to wait till they were inside the castle again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Fandom: **Alice in Wonderland 2010  
**Rating:** R ( M )  
**Warning:** Explicit content, do not read when under 18.  
**Pairing: **Alice / Stayne  
**Genre:** General/Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Disclaimer: I don't own anything nor do I profit. (I've been copying this one saying 'not' instead of 'nor'. Isn't that silly of me?)

Written as a reply to : 2010_Alice_kink

_Au: This story isn't updated often by me. I know; I'm more often to be found updating 'Poor Child' or 'I dreamed you' and requests in between =p Yet I won't abandon this tale, no, not at all. So keep track and keep checking once in a while. I've already a small start for the next chapter (I feel like this one is a bit introductory to the next in which you can expect lemony goodness!). But Because I've been without internet (vacation) and shall be gone again for several days soon I can't say when I'll be able to update. I hope before the end of the month though =p Thank you all for your support and keep reading –heart-_

* * *

**A Matter of Smallness**

**(Part 4****)**

As he watched how Alice made herself comfortable inside the small cage he decided to change his uniform. Although the small girl hadn't left enough to stain his jacket he still felt it would be more hygienic to switch into one of his clean set of clothes.

He could hear the small noises she made as she desperately, yet stubbornly not asking for his help, tried to move the chain, which was still attached to her collar, in such a way that it wouldn't bother her movement within her new 'home'.

A grin slipped on his face and his lips curled upwards at the sounds. '_Oh, the feel of power.'_

She deserves her cage after showing such improper behaviour. Had she not learned manners? It had almost been primitive of her to do what she has done. And then there were those red cheeks of embarrassment. At least she felt remorseful for her indecent deed.

Alice turned to him again and watched how the knave dusted his shoulder with his gloved hand. Had he really found it unacceptable? He should have given her time and privacy if he hadn't wanted for her to smudge his clothes. She huffed and folded her arms in front of her chest. If only she'd be free again and her own size.

Somehow the thought of slaying the Jabberwocky seemed to become more and more appealing. Yes, she would get back to this proud knave and his dull Queen.

With a small rattle of the chain she caught his attention and pouted. Stayne, immediately feeling a pang inside his chest and a certain area of his body starting to swell, answered to her by giving her a sharp glare.

"Why did you just change clothes?" Was she mocking him? The knave looked at her, tight-lipped and clearly not amused. He didn't seriously have to answer this question of her, did he?

While his hand roamed the air in a silencing manner she had already continued to tweet at him. "When will I be my own size again?"

Stayne's eye grew wide. Imagine the damage she would have done if she had been her own size. _No, that was silly._ He had to shake his head to rid himself of the ridiculous thought. If she had been her own size she probably wouldn't have fit on his shoulder and he wouldn't have carried her on his person. Nothing like this would have happened.

A perverted smirk appeared on his face. Perhaps her being smaller wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Alice, taken back by the way Stayne suddenly had started to smirk maliciously at her, took a step backwards in her cage and clutched her small hands to her chest.

"I demand to see the Queen."

What on earth was the knave thinking? She cocked her head slightly to see how the tall man reached for her with his hand, unlocking and opening the cage, and grabbed her. She squeaked and started to hit his long, slender fingers with her tiny fists.

"What are you doing?"

Stayne ignored her violent movements. "You can't see the queen, lady Alice."

Alice felt annoyed by his denial to her proposition. She had seen the Queen before but had not had the chance to talk things through. Why couldn't she be allowed to do so now? Was she still seen as an enemy?

"And why's that?"

Stayne grinned at her. "She doesn't receive pets in audience."

Alice moped. Somehow he had hit a nerve. Even as a small human creature she felt pride. "I am a person."

The sharp reply made her shudder.

"You don't look like one."

Stayne had her in a corner again, figuratively speaking. Of course she looked like a person but only a very tiny one. Stayne would acknowledge that too, if not only because of a certain organ making him aware of how much she resembled a woman, but liked to tease her endlessly. It gave him the position of one with power which was what he craved for. It motivated him to support the evil Red Queen. The thought of one day being king amused him and kept him alive. He would treat Alice as the girl she is. Lower in ranks.

She looked up at him with huge, watery puppy eyes. It worked as he felt his heart melt almost instantly. Then she uttered her cruel words.

"You're mean."

Stayne grumped irritated. Why did her words have any impact on him? It hurt to hear her preposterous accusation. But it _hurt_. Immediately being in a foul mood, Stayne shove aside the letters which had been lying on his desk to place Alice in front of him instead.

"You should learn a thing or two about manners." He gruffly stated, but the anger was obvious in his voice. Alice decided to look away at the sound of resentment and stared at the wooden desk beneath her feet. The sight, however bravely she had intended to appear stubborn, resembled that of a repenting girl and Stayne could feel his anger ebb away. The way her luscious locks fell down her bare shoulder, the way her hips and delicious curves were accentuated by her dress and how she would have her hands behind her back in a sad way. He could not deny it.

It turned him on.

Being in even more of a foul mood than only seconds before, he stepped away from his desk and fastened the chain to a nearby pole, actually a hallstand, and paced out of the room, leaving the poor girl behind.

* * *

Alice hadn't mind how Stayne had left her in his room. The desk had given her more space to move about than her new home 'the cage' and his absence had given her the opportunity to think things through. She had still several days left until Frabjous day and thus lots of opportunities to escape and obtain the Vorpal sword. Silently she prayed for the dormouse to come and save her. Of course Tarrant could save her as well, or even the twins, but someone of her own size would be easier. They could sneak out unnoticed. It sounded like a brilliant plan within her own mind.

However, why the knave had left in such a rush had her puzzled. She had claimed for him to be 'mean', but surely a tough and dangerous man like him could cope with such insults. And when he had commented that she should 'learn manners' she had truly expected for him to be harsh on her, perhaps hitting her or denying her to be fed. But instead he had left without so much as another word. She shrugged and couldn't be bothered to give it much thought. He was a peculiar man after all.

After he had left she had done this and that. When he had returned he had not said a word but just simply had been staring at her. The day filled itself easily. Alice was fed by the tall man. 'Dinner' he had called it and it indeed had been a warm meal. In fact, he had given her part of his meal by slicing small pieces for her at the dining table. That was until Iracebeth commanded that she didn't want 'any pets' at the table and Alice had quickly been shoved onto his lap. The whole ordeal had been awkward as the knave had felt hard underneath her buttocks. Yet he had kept feeding her unbeknownst to the Queen who had said 'good riddance' and had continued a dull tale about how her husband once fell into the canal and found his own mother's head.

Night had passed just as swiftly. She had been put in her cage and without much words the knave had left for his own bed. The morning had been different. Alice had awoken very early and, whilst rubbing her eyes, she had found that the knave had been restless within his own bed. After much tossing and turning he sat up and watched her like a hawk. Alice, pretending to still be asleep, had waited for several long minutes until the knave would move again.

But then he had suddenly left again and she had frowned. 'Why, what a silly man, ' She had thought to herself. 'to leave me as abrupt as this for a second time. If he's going to make a habit out of this strange behaviour I shall find myself very upset. How can I convince him to feed me Upelkuchen when he's not around?' And thus she sat up and stared out of her cage and out of the window. The sky was still dark and the room was lit by only one candle in total.

A small ray of light caught her attention and she turned her head to notice Stayne had left the door ajar. Through the crack she could make out a vague shape of a man. She rubbed her eyes again and looked once more.

It was the knave, his hand moving rapidly up and down a piece of flesh. The slippery sounds and the crackling of his gloved hands could be heard from where he was standing. Did he really think she wouldn't be spotting him?

'Of course,' she remembers, 'he thought me to be asleep.'

She crawled to the other side of the cage and grabbed the bars. The sounds made her feel strange and a warm sensation started to form in the pit of her stomach again. She had been given that exact same feeling before, just by watching the knave eat.

Now she could hear how the tall man grunted and whimpered. _'Almost as if he's in pain._' She thought to herself and her eyes softened to show pity.

The view she had was one of a gloved hand stroking veined flesh.

But what was it that caused him so much pain that he needed to leave her side and stroke the flesh?

She would ask him later.

Now was not the time.


End file.
